The military targets particular schools for recruitment efforts, focusing on schools where students are less likely to be on a college track. According to the Boston Globe, McLean High School--an affluent Virginia school--is much more welcoming to college visits than army recruiters. At McDonough High, less than 40 miles away, recruiters are welcomed as people who can provide a way out and a career path for students.
A little-known segment of the No Child Left Behind Act allows each branch of the military two visits a year to a school. In addition, recruiters are given a list of students' names and contact information.
Army recruiters call potential high school prospects repeatedly--up to six times--and track responses carefully in a computer program they call "The Blueprint." The Army also mails brochures to homes, and recruiters hang out where teens do--at malls and convenience stores.